Saving Shae
by Ordinary and Adorable
Summary: Bones and Booth have an interesting, and tough, case. Along with a teenager, Shae, who either loaths something, or doesn't care. Interesting to say the least. Life-threatening to say the most T for language. Focuses more on Shae OC than Bones and Booth.
1. Chapter 1

"Come on, Temperance, come on…" Angela muttered under her breath. "Pick up…"

"Hello?"

"Booth?!" Angela nearly dropped the receiver, "What are you doing at Brennen's house?"

"Uh…Well…Um…"

"Booth," Bones' voice sounded in the background. "Give me the phone."

"Okay."

"Yeah?"

"Sweetie, why is Booth at your house?" Angela demanded.

"Forget that, what's up?"

"I won't tell you until you answer the question!"

"Angela, come on! I'll explain later."

"Promise?"

"Yes! Now why did you call?"

"Fine…" Angela sighed. "We've got a car bomb. The driver and front passenger are burned beyond recognition. The third victim, who was sitting behind the driver, isn't that bad, we may be able to ID her…"

"Are the bodies in yet?"

"Yeah."

"Tell ?????? to take DNA samples off of the skin, see if he can lift prints. Ange, I need you to take pictures, and then have the grad student boil down the bodies if Cam is finished with the remaining soft tissue. Make sure that he keeps some tissue samples in case Cam needs further evidence off of them."

"Anything else?"

"No, I think that's it for right now…Wait, where's the car?"

"Still at the scene."

"Tell them to keep it there. After I come in and check things at the lab, Booth and I will go examine the remains of the car."

"AFTER you tell me!"

"Yes, okay, okay."

"See you soon." Angela put the receiver down. She was going to love having Brennen explain this one!

"After she tells you what?" Hodgins had come up behind her.

"You promise me you won't spread this around?"

"Promise." He flashed a smile.

"Okay. When I called to tell her about the case, Booth answered the phone!"

"Booth, as in, the never up before seven-thirty, our FBI agent and ex-sniper BOOTH? Why is he up at eight? And at Dr. Brennen's house?"

"I don't know, but she's going to tell me."

"Okay." Hodgins turned to leave.

"Wait," Angela caught his arm, "Not a word to anyone, and I mean ANYONE about Booth at Brennen's house, okay?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I promise…but I still think it is very cruel of you to prevent me from telling Sweets and Cam the sweetest story of the year."

"Well, I'm just cruel like that, then."

"See you later." Hodgin's kissed her cheek.

He walked out in the hallway as they were wheeling the third body in. They passed right in front of him. The vic was burned black and red, her face looking like something from a nightmare. Hair, burned black and short, was still there in places. It must have, at one time, been beautiful. It had a…feathery look to it. The vic, a girl, must have been very pretty. She was young, looking barely out of high school.

Hodgins swallowed. Not many burned bodies came into the Jeffersonian, but they were always just so much worse.

"Is that the last vic?" Sweets asked.

"Yeah…"

"Wow…She looks so young…"

"I know… Hey, why are you here?"

"I was going to see if I could set up another session with Brennen." He was lying.

"You get bored in that little shrink-office, don't you?"

"No…. Okay: Yes."

"Well…. While you're here, want to hear something good?"

"Good in what way?" Sweets asked, sounding almost scared of the answer.

"Good as in, if you don't hear, you will regret it."

"I'll probably regret it anyway, but fire away."

"Okay, so Angela called Brennen's house to tell her about the case, right? Well, Booth answered the phone."

"Booth?" Sweets looked at his watch. "He would never be up at this hour unless he had to come in to work. Why is he up and at Dr. Brennen's house already?"

"What if he had been there all night?"

Sweets couldn't answer. He opened his mouth, shut it, opened it again, and once more shut it. He shook his head.

"So Booth is at Dr. Bennen's house?"

"Cam?!" Hodgins and Sweets spun around at the same time, startled.

"You weren't supposed to hear that…" Hodgins muttered.

"Well, too late, I heard it. So, that's the story?"

"Yes." Hodgins said.

"So, are they going to be here soon?" Cam asked.

"Yes."

"Good. I can't wait to hear this story."

Minutes passed. Hodgins and the others worked, listening for the arrival of Bones and Booth.

Five minutes…Ten…Fifteen.

Doors opened, and voices echoed down the hall. Two of them. Bones and Booth.

Angela, Cam, Sweets, and Hodgins were in the hall instantly, walking toward the pair.

Bones glanced at Booth, who gave a small smile. She relaxed a little, only to tighten up again when Angela reached her.

"Okay, sweetie. Spill!"

"All of the others know, too?" Bones looked at Angela, indignant.

"Apparently so." Angela shot a look at the very guilty Hodgins.

"We were going to have to tell them anyway." Booth murmured in her ear.

"Yes, but…" Bones sighed, "Angela, just you first, okay?"

"Sure. Come on." Angela went with Bones to Bones' office. Booth stayed to get the information on the case, and to prevent the others from following.

"So?" Angela prompted.

"Well…" Bones gnawed her lip for a moment. She closed her eyes, and wordlessly held up her left hand.

Angela stared, checking that her eyes weren't lying to her. There, on Bones' ring finger was a beautiful diamond ring. Gold band.

"Did he really?"

"Yes."

Angela hugged Bones tightly.

"Oh, my gosh, sweetie!" She took Bones' left hand to further examine the engagement ring. "It's so beautiful!"

"Thanks, Angela." Bones smiled, "He proposed last night."

"I gathered that." Angela laughed. "So he stayed at your place?"

"Yes."

"Well, let's not go into details then. My imagination works just fine."

"Angela!"

"Kidding, kidding! So, how are we going to announce the good news to the others?"

"Ugh…" Bones rubbed her temples, "I was hoping Booth could handle that.."

"Yeah, sure he will." Angela laughed. "Come on."

"Dr. Brennen, what is going on?" Sweets demanded the second he caught sight of her.

"So, Booth didn't tell you?"

"No." Hodgins glared at Booth. "Not a stinking word."

"Hon, be nice." Angela swatted his arm.

"Well, last night, Booth and I went out for coffee and pie, like always…"

"And this time I made her get pie." Booth grinned.

"Oh, I like French Silk pie, so it wasn't that hard!" Bones said.

"So, I'm in there so much I had made a deal with the owner. I told him to put something…very special in the pie."

"Special in what way?" Sweets asked, as Angela bounced up and down.

"Well, if I didn't eat my pie slowly and in small pieces, I might have chocked on it…"

"Brennen, don't be so negative." Booth grinned. "Special as in has a gold band, a diamond, and goes onto one's left hand."

"He proposed to you?" Hodgins, Cam, and Sweets said at once.

"Yes." Bones laughed as Booth put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Well, well, well." Caroline had appeared behind the group. "I'm glad you two finally got together, but you have to get out into the field and examine that car. The rest of you-get busy!"

"Yes, Caroline." Bones rolled her eyes.

"Where's the car?" Booth asked.

"How do you expect me to remember that address?" Caroline handed him a piece of paper. "That's where you need to go."

"I'm coming with you!" Angela said.

"Hey, me, too." Cam walked over to the pair.

"Anyone else?" Bones asked. "No, Hodgins, you have to stay and see if the bodies have any particulates on them."

Hodgins slumped and walked to his station.

"I'll just go back to my office, then." Sweets walked away with a very self-satisfied smile.

"Let's go." Angela said.

The drive to the bombsite was…interesting.

"Are you humming what I think you're humming?" Bones asked Booth as he hummed and tapped the steering wheel in rhythm.

"Let's find out." Booth grinned, "I've got a love-e-lee bunch of co-co-nuts."

"Dee-dle-ee-dee." Bones joined in. "There they are a-standing in a row."

"Bum bum bum."

"Big ones."

"Small ones."

"Some as big as your head!" They sang at once, pointing to each other's heads.

"Wow…" Angela stage-whispered to Cam, "I'm engaged and I never do anything this crazy."

"In front of people." Bones said. "I'll bet you and Hodgins are like this all the time!"

"Uh…Maybe…" Angela said. "But nothing involving coconuts."

"I've never done anything this crazy…At all." Cam laughed.

"No, you just let yourself get hypnotized and cluck like a chicken." Bones laughed.

"In front of three-thousand people." Angela added.

"Well…I didn't know I was clucking!"

"Well…this is it." Booth stopped the car.

In front of them was the burned skeleton of a car, blackened and charred. The smell of scorched seat foam and burnt rubber was everywhere, causing Bones to wrinkle her nose.

"Wow…this was bad…" Angela gaped at the scene.

"The bomb detonated right in the driver's seat…" Bones noticed. "It went through the windshield."

"So, it was thrown from the road." Booth said, walking around the car.

"Correct. The driver's seat was blasted back, which is probably what killed the driver's side passenger. It might have hit her head."

"Passenger was killed by the blast." Angela noted. "And…Temperance, you have got to see this. You won't believe it."

"I believed the guy in the truck tire."

"Would you believe me if I told you someone survived this?"

"Until you show me really solid proof, no. It's practically impossible."

"Bones, nothing is impossible, not really. Just improbable." Booth said.

"It's impossible for you to find socks that match." Bones laughed.

"So…"

"So, why do you say someone may have survived?"

"Just look."

The rear passenger seat looked much like the others. Scorched, except for void where a person had sat.

"How many bodies where brought in?"

"Three."

"Guys, we've got a survivor out there somewhere."


	2. Chapter 2

"You can't be serious." Hodgins looked from Bones, to Booth, to Cam, and finally to Angela.

The four had, after analyzing the scene, gone back to tell the others the news.

"Yes, we are." Bones said. "Which is why we need the three victims ID'd. We need to know where they lived, where they went, and what the survivor's relation to them is. Maybe, that way, we can find them."

"Are we down to just bones on any of these vics?" Angela asked.

"Yes, the driver." Hodgins said. "I had a grad student take tissue samples for you. They kept all the organs, skin, and the eyes. Seriously, that's so gross… The samples are in near the bodies, and the eyes just stare at you."

"Let us see the bones." Cam demanded. "And give me those tissue samples. I'll check the organs for any problems, and if I find any, I'll run them with hospitals." She picked up a bag containing an eye. "Brown eyes…Any identification on the vic's clothes?"

"Only on that one, so far. He had a driver's license. Mr. Kenneth Shae Wilson." Hodgins turned a computer screen to them. A middle-aged man was displayed there, with dark skin, brown eyes, and chestnut hair that was receding. Some gray strands were visible.

"Spouses, children, parents?" Bones asked.

"A wife, with two daughters. I'm waiting for the other passenger's results to see if they match. I think the one might match up to their nineteen year old."

"Nineteen?" Angela shook her head. "It's sad…How come we get so many teens?"

"Don't know." Hodgings shrugged.

"Well," Bones picked up the skull from the table, "I was right, there are fatal fractures here."

"Well, I'm going to get the pictures from the scene off of the camera and to my computers." Angela said, and then left.

"I'll take a look at those bones," Bones said. "Hodgins, see if there are any particulates on the clothes.

Hodgins nodded, then left.

"You okay?" Booth put his hand on Bones' shoulder as she started to rub her temples.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just…that there should be a survivor makes no sense at all…And, I'm a little tired…"

"Need some coffee?"

"Please and thank you."

"Okay. Be right back, sweetie." he kissed her head and left.

"Hey, Dr. Brennen," Angela returned. "I was looking at pictures from the scene."

"What've you got for me?"

"Well, by the looks of it, we have a hate-crime on our hands. Someone didn't like anyone in that car for some reason. This would have gotten rid of all of them."

"Let's not set down anything for sure until we have more information. We'll need to ask some questions."

"Okay, I'll take these to Angela. Have her reconstruct the car by using them."

"Thanks, see what else you can dig up about the victims. That could help us get an ID on a suspect."

"Got it." Angela returned to her office.

"Here's your coffee." Booth set the mug down on her desk.

Bones inhaled the scent gratefully. "Creamer?"

"French Vanilla. Like always." Booth kissed the top of her head.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. But I would like some payment."

"What sort of payment?"

Booth pulled her into his arms.

"Guess." He breathed in her ear.

She turned around in his arms and pressed her lips to his.

He pulled back long enough to smirk and say "Exactly." before kissing her again, this time with more passion.

There was a small cough behind them, then:

"Dr. Brennen?"

The two jumped apart, startled.

Sweets was in the doorway, smirking.

"I gathered as much information as I could on our identified victim. It was very difficult, he likes to keep to himself, very much so. I couldn't find his address without going through the police or through the firewalls. Seeing as I don't know how to hack at all, I called them. They wouldn't give me the information via phone, and when I told them of Ken's death, they told me that they would have to come verify that he was dead before they could release any information to me. Victemology is a wonderful thing. Just thought I'd help out."

"Why is he so secluded?" Bones asked, puzzled. It was kind of annoying how, if ever Sweets got involved in a case, he was ALWAYS right…

"They couldn't release that to me either. All I was able to get was that he had several restraining orders against people that were put into action approximately a year before now."

"Wait, someone was after this guy?" Booth said.

"It appears so."

"So we have to sit around and wait for this address?" Bones was now extremely irritated.

"Yes."

"What else could you find?"

"He has two daughters, Chelsea Kelly and Kathleen Shae. He was married to a Molly Marie, used to be Quincy."

"So the survivor could be Kathleen?" Booth asked.

"Yes...Sweets, how old are the daughters?"

"Chelsea was nineteen, I think she's the body that was brought in, and Kathleen is fifteen."

"Any idea where to find her?"

"Not until we find an address. I'm sorry, Dr. Brennen."

"No, it's not your fault Sweets." Bones sank into her chair, sighing and taking a sip of her coffee. "Thank you. See what else you can dig up."

Sweets nodded and began to walk back to his office, flitting through his notes.

"This is going to be a long morning..." Bones said.

"And a dead one." Booth stood behind her, rubbing her shoulders. "We won't be able to find anything on these victims until the police release the information, and you are in need of a nap."

"Where am I supposed to sleep, an examination table? I won't get peace in my office."

"There are very comfortable chairs in mine." He grinned.

"Sounds good to me." Bones said, her eyes closed. Opening them, she took the hand that Booth was holding out to her and allowed him to help her up.

The chairs in Booth's office were comfortable...She was curled up in one and asleep within five minutes.

"Is something wrong with Dr. Brennen?" Hodgins walked by, stopping when he saw her uncharacteristically sleeping.

"She only runs on full steam if she's had a full nights sleep."

"And she didn't?"

"No, not really." Booth gave a secretive smile, "And it's kind of all my fault."

"Ah. Well, that's your lives, not mine." Hodigns said, "And I don't need the mental images."

"Geez, Jacke, you act like you never have any fun!"

"I have Angela!"

"Wow… I didn't need THAT."

"Payback, my friend, is a bitch."

"Get outta here, squint."

The morning dragged on, with nobody uncovering much about the victims, except for discovering that the murder weapon had been a home made bomb. Bones had woken up mid-morning and confirmed that the explosion driving the seat back, combined with the sudden stop of the vehicle propelling her forward, had fractured her skull and snapped her neck. The passenger victim had been hit with a piece of shrapnel in the temple, hard enough to instantly kill her.

"Dr. Brennen?" A woman with a slim face and almond eyes was in the doorway.

"Yes?" Bones crossed the room to her.

"Ah. I'm Officer Swan from the police department, here to confirm the death of Mr. Wilson and his family." She held out her hand and Bones shook.

"Ah. Well, the bodies are in here." Bones led her in.

"There certainly isn't much left..." Officer Swan looked nauseated. "What did this?"

"An explosive that was made with objects found around home. Cleaning supplies, a small about of gunpowder, about as much as you would get out of three shotgun shells, given the force of the explosion." Hodgins said, walking in. "Brennen, there was also some mineral fragments driven into the flesh of the body that I found and analyzed. There was obsidian planted in the explosive, so that it would be blasted into fragments and driven into the flesh. I think that the bomber was hoping for larger fragments than I found."

"Thank you, Hodgins."

"You have a DNA test to prove that this was Ken?" Officer Swan swallowed.

"No. He had his drivers license with him."

"Officer, what was your connection to Ken?"

"We had gone to high school together. Same classes, almost. We kept in contact as friends for a long time. I helped him meet Molly..."

"I'm so sorry..."

"I just can't, for the life of me, think who would have done this. I know he came to us requesting a few restraining orders, but I don't know who against. He always acted as though things were perfect. If he had a trouble in the world, nobody knew it. I never knew he had problems this large with anyone."

"Angela?" Bones knocked on the door to Angela's station. It was open a crack, but she knocked all the same.

"Couldn't you just go in?"

"With Angela and Hodgin's stations, it's always a good idea to knock." Bones explained, earning a pair of wide eyes on Officer Swan's part.

"Come on in, sweetie." Angela said.

Bones led Officer Swan in, rather relieved not to find that Hodgins wasn't in.

"Do you have Ken's divers license's picture?"

"Yes, let me pull it up."

She showed Officer Swan a picture of a middle-aged man with a receding hairline, and brown eyes.

"Oh, my God…" Officer Swan swallowed. "That's him…"

"Could we please have his address?" Bones asked.

"Yes, of course…here." The officer handed Bones a sheet of paper containing the address and directions.

"Thank you. Angela, I'm going to get Booth. We've got a survivor to find."


	3. Chapter 3

"Booth, come on, let's go." Bones stuck her head into his office, "We've got an address where we might find Kathleen."

"Well, you're certainly perky now." Booth laughed, getting out of his chair.

"Yes, I am."

"All right, let's go."

The drive was…interesting.

"No, no, you turn north up here."

"That is not what these directions say, Bones."

"I've been in this area, and you'll take less time if you turn north now!"

"Okay, okay." Booth turned onto a gravel road.

Ten minutes passed.

"Are you sure you're right?" Booth asked. "There's nothing out here…Oh."

In front of him, at a 'T' turn, was a paved road.

"Told you it was a shortcut."

"Yes, fine, fine." Booth said. "Now which way do I turn?"

"East."

"Bones, left or right?"

"Ugh…right. Don't you know your cardinal directions?"

"No."

"Never mind then…"

"Bones, is this it?" Booth pointed to a house up ahead.

"I think so."

Booth pulled into the driveway, which was shaped like a 'D'.

"Bones, I'll go in, but you stay in the car."

"Why, I'm just as capable-"

"I'm asking you to stay because this house could be a death trap, and I'm not going to risk you. I've seen you hurt too many times to do that."

"Oh…" Bones was startled. "Okay…"

"Thank you." Booth gave her a light kiss on the lips.

He got out of the car, pulling out his gun as a precaution.

Reaching the door, he knocked. No response. He pounded. Nothing.

'Dang it…' He thought, 'Breaking the door down hurts my shoulder…Oh, well.'

He rammed his shoulder into the door, grimacing as it hit the hard wood. The door burst open. A song was being sung in a room down the hall.

"I walk this empty street,

On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

Where the city sleeps,

And I'm the only one and I walk alone."

Somewhere in the back of his mind it occurred to Booth that the original singer of this song wasn't a girl, but he followed the music down the hall. A door, with a door hanger depicting a white rabbit saying "Not Listening", was cracked slightly, letting the sound escape.

"My shadow's only one that walks beside me,

My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating,

Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me

Till then I walk alone."

Gun at the ready, finger off the trigger, Booth gently edged open the door. A girl was sitting on the bed, ear buds in, singing and playing guitar. She had burns and cuts on the left side of her face, her nose was bruised black and purple, her left arm was bandaged, along with her left leg. She looked pretty banged up.

As though she'd survived a car bomb.

She glanced up and a look of shock crossed her face. Within a second she'd set the guitar aside and grabbed a red foam T-ball bat.

"Wait, no, I'm from the FBI!" Booth lowered his gun and reached for his badge.

The girl smacked him hard across the face with the bat.

"Wait, wait!" Booth was holding up his hands.

The girl kept hitting him, hard. He backed out into the hall, shielding his face and feeling blood trickling from his nose. The girl sprinted down the hall.

Bones drummed her fingers against the armrest of her seat in the car. What was taking Booth so long?

Then a girl, bandaged on her left side, came running out of the door, expertly vaulting over the porch railing. Long, curly brown hair that was slightly on the bushy side whipped around her face and flowed behind her. On her face was a look of determination. She looked back to the door, which Booth was now running through. Not seeing a tree root in her path, she tripped over it and face planted in the dirt.

"Damn it!" She cursed and clutched her ankle.

"I heard that." Bones said, shutting the door of the car as she got out.

"Good for you." The girl spat.

"What happened to you?" Bones asked as Booth came up pinching his nose.

"T-ball bat." Booth said.

The girl smirked.

"Are you Kathleen Wilson?" Bones asked her.

"Yes." The girl grimaced. "But I prefer to be called Shae, thank you very much."

"Well, then Shae, you need to come with us." Booth said, reaching out a hand to help her up. She smacked it away.

"I can get up on my own." Shae said, and, using only her right arm to support herself, stood up.

"Is something wrong with your arm?" Bones said.

"Yeah. Dunno what though." Shae rolled her eyes. "So where are you taking me?"

"After the hospital, the Jeffersonian."

"To Jeffer-what?"

"It's where we work." Bones said, holding open the rear passenger door of the car. "But you're getting checked out at the hospital first."

"Fine." Shae winced as she got in. "Can I have my Ipod?"

"I'll go get it." Booth said, "I need to find a Kleenex anyway…"

"How hard did you hit him?" Bones eyed Shae through the rearview mirror.

"About as hard as I hit the softball when Karley was on third."

"I don't know what that means…"

"Really freekin' hard. If Karley, who wasn't too fast, was on third, you had to smack the ball way the heck to the outfield so that the ball didn't get back to home before she did…" Seeing Bones' eyebrows knit together in confusion, Shae rolled her eyes. "It's softball, or girl baseball. I'm not explaining it to you, have your fiancé explain."

"How did you know he was my fiancé?"

"When he held up his hands as I started smacking him with the bat I saw the gold band on his left hand. When you got out of the vehicle, I saw the diamond ring on your left hand. Plus you were looking at him in that 'special way'. Two plus two equals four. It's no t that hard."

"Here you go." Booth had come back and was in the passenger seat, holding Shae's silver third generation Ipod nano.

"Thanks." Shae put the ear buds in and started her Ipod back up, cranking the sound, and mouthing the words. She didn't like singing in front of strangers. Unless, of course, she was on a stage and all of the lights were out where her audience was sitting. If she couldn't see them, it was much better.

"Here's to the girls on their boards with bruises and scars  
Here's to the girls whose fingers bleed from playin guitar  
Here's to anyone who never quit when things got hard  
You'll never let them say you'll never get that far.

We are fire inside, we are an army asleep  
We are a people awaking to follow their dreams  
We don't have time for your games  
We have our own goals to score  
There are trophies to win instead of being one of yours."

"She doesn't seem too shaken up." Booth was saying to Bones, after realizing that Shae's music was too loud to hear anything. He flipped on the radio as he talked. After listening to about two bars of the song, he and Bones burst out laughing.

"Don't you dare try to play air guitar while you're driving!" Booth said as Hot Blooded pulsed through the speakers.

"Okay." Bones laughed. "But, you're right." She glanced back at Shae. "She seems almost normal."

Shae was drumming her fingers on her leg.

"She can sing…" Booth commented nonchalantly.

"What?"

"Just saying, she can sing. She was playing her guitar and singing when I went into her room."

"Oh. Maybe she'll look at it as…common ground between us." Bones said, "But I'm not sure."

In the back, Shae sneezed.

"Ow! Sh-OW!" She yelled clutching her nose, which was bleeding slightly. "Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow…"

"You okay?" Bones asked, digging in her purse and finding a Kleenex for Shae.

"Wait for it…ow…Yeah, I'm okay." Shae pressed the Kleenex to her nose.

"What happened?" Booth said.

"Dad stomped the brakes after the bomb went through the windshield and I hit my mom's seat so hard it basically broke my freakin' face."

"So, it's broken?"

"That's my guess. I didn't mess with it; I don't know how to fix a broken anything, much less a face. Well…I can fix my guitar and my books and that's it…"

"Ah."

"Speaking of books, you got anything to read?"

"Only books on anthropology." Bones replied.

"No sci-fi? Fantasy? Harry Potter type anything? Not even a Marvel comic?"

"Uh…I think there's a copy of the Green Lantern under the seat in front of you…" Booth said, staring at the road as if it were suddenly the most amazing thing.

"You serious?" Shae bent over. "Wow…you're serious…well, it works for me."

She hit play on her Ipod once again and flipped open the comic.

"Is that the same one you were reading when I came to your apartment?"

"Yes…" Booth cleared his throat.

"Okay…" Bones laughed, "I can deal with that. After all, it is a novel."

"A graphic novel."

"Yes."

"So I turn up here for the hospital?"

"Yes, don't you remember?"

"I should, I've been there enough. But, no. Both times I was brought I wasn't conscious, and I didn't memorize the way home."

"Well, it's right there. Now you should remember. I won't count on it, but you should."

As it turned out, Shae had a sprained ankle, multiple burns and bruises, and a piece of obsidian about an inch and a half long embedded in her upper arm.

"We need to keep that piece of obsidian." Booth said.

"Why?" The doctor asked as she wrapped Shae's arm.

"It's evidence in a federal investigation and it could help us find where the explosive it came out of was made." Bones said, bagging the black sliver.

"Ah. All right then." The doctor turned to Shae, "About your nose…I'll have to, basically, pop the bone back were it belongs."

"Sounds like loads of fricken' fun. Bring it on." Shae clenched her hands into tight fists.

"I'm not going to lie to you. This will hurt. A lot."

The doctor pulled on her latex gloves and held Shae's face between her hands. She put her thumbs on Shae's nose, and gently felt around for a little bit. Then, without warning, she took Shae's nose hard between her thumbs and jerked it right, then left. Two cracks, the first one louder than the second, echoed in the room, making Bones, Booth, and Shae wince.

"Shit!" Shae swore again. "That hurt!"

"Well, I told you it was going to." The doctor handed Shae a Kleenex. "Your nose is going to bleed for a while, but will feel better soon. Get some ice on it as quickly as you can."

"Yeah, yeah. Noise, noise." Shae took the Kleenex and held it to her nostrils. "Well, it's not as sore now, to say the least."

The doctor talked to Bones and Booth, as they were apparently named, while Shae tuned them out, staring at the blank wall.

"Come on, Shae." Booth jerked his head the direction of the door.

"To the Jeffer-thingee?"

"Yes, to the Jeffersonian."

"Sure, I'm game." Shae rolled her eyes.

She had finished with the Green Lantern in five minutes, so she stared out the window on their way there. She was unfazed as they entered a building that looked very givernmenty. It screamed of pure boredom.

"Dr. Brennen, you're back." A guy with a beard had come up.

"Yes, Hodgins, what is it?"

They continued to talk, a bunch of smart stuff dealing with bones and anatomy and…stuff.

"So this is her?" The guy, apparently Hodgins, asked.

"Yeah, I'm her." She said. "But why do you know who I am and why did you send some genius lady and an FBI agent after me?"

"We're investigating who may have thrown the bomb into the car." Hodgins replied.

"How are you gonna find 'em?"

"We find out as much about the vic-your family as we can and use the crime scene."

"Ah." Shae nodded. "Sure, I guess that makes sense. Where can I chill until you find some use for me? Because I assume you're gonna take me into a square room with a bright light and then FBI Man here is going to poke and prod at me with questions. That's how I understand this crap works."

"You can sit in my office until we want to ask you some questions. And we won't treat you like a criminal. I'll just talk with you in my office." Bones said. "Angela?" She called to a woman walking by.

"Yeah?"

"Are you busy?"

"No, not at the moment. Unless you need me to build another face."

This last sentence made no sense to Shae, but nothing much had, really. Not that she cared.

"Can you show Kath…SHAE to my office?"

"Sure, c'mon." She jerked her head at Shae.

"Okay." Shae shrugged.

She could deal with these people. For a while, at least. If things got really sucky she could always do what she knew would work. She'd just run. It didn't matter to her.

Because with her parents gone: There were no rules.


	4. Chapter 4

Bones' office was…semi-boring. Lots of world culture stuff. The kind of stuff that, while she was learning it in school, made her gag. It was sorta big, and well decorated. Just not decorated in any way Shae liked…

"So…I wait here until the Ms. Uber Smart comes to talk to me?" Shae asked, looking around.

"Yes. And please don't call her that, call her Dr. Brennen." Angela said, sitting behind Bones' desk and hunting for chocolates she knew were stashed away in one of the drawers.

"Yeah, yeah, noise noise." Shae plopped onto the couch and lay on her stomach, resting her head on the armrest. All that was showing was her nose and eyes. Her eyes had started to blacken, making her look rather like a raccoon. She loathed the appearance.

Five minutes passed in that awkward 'I don't want to say anything, but maybe I should, no I won't I might say the wrong thing' type silence. It bugged Shae to no freeking end.

"So," She said, her eyes hungrily scanning the bookshelves, "Anything good to read on those shelves?"

"I don't know, Brennen doesn't like people messing with her organization systems or her books."

"Yeah," Shae stood and crossed to the shelves, "Cause God knows I'm gonna screw up her shelves. I have respect for the organization of books. And the books themselves. I couldn't damage a book if I tried, seriously…" She ran her index finger down the spine of one of the books. "Hmmm…Animal Farm…Hey, would Bones murder me if I jacked one of these books?"

"I don't know…" Angela said, "But if you don't want me to tell her, I won't. That's your call."

"Sweet," Shae deftly flicked the book off of the shelf by putting her index finger on the top of it and swiftly pulling. The book fell neatly onto it's spine, still aligned to the other books. Shae pulled it out, leaving a freestanding gap where it had been. The other books hadn't been touched.

Once Shae began to read, she wouldn't have noticed if an hour had passed in that stupid silence. She was in a book, it didn't freekin' matter. And this was actually a pretty good book. One of those books that gives you an enjoyable story, but then you can think about the deeper meaning of it for hours on end and compare it to the way the world was today. All in all, a pretty good book.

Shae watched Bones walk into her office through her peripherals. Bones stopped in front of one of her bookshelves.

"Where is my copy of Animal Farm?" Bones raised an eyebrow at Angela.

"Don't ask me, I don't know." Angela held up her hands.

"Shae?"

"Hmmm?"

"Is that my copy of Animal Farm?"

"Yup." Shae flipped a page. "Expect it back tomorrow."

"Okay…could you put it down while I ask you a few questions?" Booth had come in behind her.

"Sure…" Shae's eyes stayed glued to the page for a few more seconds before she dug through her pocket, pulled out an old gum wrapper, and marked her place with it.

"Okay. Did you see anything before the bomb went off?"

"Yeah." Shae sighed. "There was this guy who was passing us. I couldn't see him real well, I was on the opposite side of the car, you know. Anyway, I think I saw him throw something. Not sure, though. I was more focused on my music."

"Okay…Later I'm going to ask you to describe what you saw of this man to Angela. She'll sketch him so we know what he looks like."

"Sure, sure." Shae was…detached.

"Did your father have problems with anyone? Or did anyone dislike him?"

"Take your pick, there were plenty. Family who thought my mother wasn't good enough for him, men who just didn't like him because he had views that he backed up no matter what, the general population of s who just can't handle it when someone isn't totally perfect in their eyes. My father was, apparently, not perfect enough for anyone, save a few people who actually had open minds… Thought I admit, sometimes both of my parents could be intolerable. They were very strict, and virtually controlling. If they had a view, you either followed it or it was a bad thing… Grades needed to be perfect, that was all that mattered about school. If you learned the material, it was a bonus. If you got it crammed into your head enough to ace the test, that mattered."

"Can you think of anyone who would go to this…extreme to get rid of your family?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Genius. I don't think anyone who disliked my father enough to kill him…His job didn't even do anything to hurt anyone. He was a doctor, did kid's checkups. And, so far as I know, nobody ever died or anything there. My father was a good man. My mother didn't work; she was a stay at home mom. My sister worked at Wally World, and everyone hates you there, even if you don't know them. That's the way it seems, anyway…"

"So, your parents hadn't done anything recently to provoke anyone into physically harming them?"

"Nope." She popped the "P".

"Why did your father have restraining orders filed on some people about a year back?"

"They wanted our dogs. We have a pure blooded German Shepard, and apparently these nut cases were breeders. They wanted our dog to breed their female. They offered us as much as three thousand dollars, but Dad wouldn't have it. Ike is family, and he stayed with us. They tried to steal him, twice in fact, so Dad made sure they couldn't come near us or our house."

"Pretty extreme for keeping a dog."

"If we let them get away with stealing a dog, what would have been next?" Shae raised an eyebrow, "Are you done prying into my Dad's life?"

"Yes, but I'm not done asking questions. Did you recognize the vehicle the man who passed you was driving?"

"Nope. It was an old truck. Piece of crap if you asked me. Don't ask me for the plate number, I didn't see it. And don't ask me about what kind of truck, I don't know vehicles worth crap."

"Is that all you can tell us?"

"Yep."

"Angela, your turn." Booth said.

Angela grabbed a pencil and smoothed the paper on her sketchpad.

"So, what did you see of this guy?"

"He looked about my Dad's age, maybe younger. I dunno. I'm crappy at age guessing. He had dark hair, dark brown I think. A beard, no mustache, though. Kind of a big nose…it was hooked, too. A dimple chin. I didn't see any scars…Lips kinda like a monkey's."

"Is that it?"

"No…A narrow face, like some kinda…rat…His hair was short, kinda buzz cut. That's it…"

Angela sketched, erasing here, smudging a line here and there, and concentrating hard.

"Kinda like this?" She let Shae see the picture.

"Yeah, that's him. Can I read now?"

"Sure, go ahead. But if you'd like, you can come out here," Angela nodded her head from where she now stood in the doorway. "There are some chairs, and you can watch what we do."

"Sure, sure." Shae got up, grabbing her Ipod and the book. She sat in the first chair she came to, close to where the Hodgins guy was leaning over a microscope that looked for the entire world like a cappuccino machine.

Between pauses in her song, she could hear what she thought was a familiar voice asking someone if they'd seen some person. She didn't really care at the moment, though.

"Oh, my God!" The voice was right in her ear and familiar as her own hands, "Kathleen Shae Wilson, where in the Hell have you freeking been?!"


	5. Chapter 5

"You didn't text, you didn't call!" Arms wrapped around Shae from behind, and the voice got louder. "Where the HELL have you been, Shae?!"

"Calm down, Nichole." Shae sighed and gently removed her friend's arms…she was being crushed. "And give me just a sec." Shae's eyes returned once more to the book in her hands.

Nichole sighed, but was quiet.

For all of ten seconds.

"Whatcha readin'?"

Shae, not taking her eyes off of the page, lifted the book to let Nichole read the cover.

"Animal Farm, huh?" Nichole popped her gum, "I thought Canadian Hitler makes the junior class read it anyway? Your gonna read it again in a couple years, y'know."

"Hmmm." Shae nodded, grinning at the use of the High School English Teacher's nickname, but kept reading. She was eager to finish the chapter. She found the gum wrapper, tucked it in place, and looked up to see someone walking toward them.

"Who's this?" The woman's Jeffersonian tag named her: Camille Saroya.

"This is Nichole, she's-"

"I'm Shae's best friend." Nichole held her hand out to Cam in an impatient manner. "Why was I not told she was here? I heard about what happened to the Wilson family, some sort of car accident, but there weren't details…"

"Well, when we released the information to the press, we didn't know about Shae quite yet."

Nichole gave a snort through her nose.

"So, Shae, if you're here, where's your 'rents?"

"Well, Nichole-" Cam started to explain.

"No," Shae shook her head, putting the book down. "I'll explain."

"Yo, Samus, what's goin' on?" Nichole was using her role-play nickname for her. Meaning that she was only a step from using Kathleen. Shae got up.

"Follow." She said flatly.

"Okay…?" Nichole theatrically raised an eyebrow.

They walked past a couple offices and into a room with three tables in it. The surfaces of the tables were lit. On each was a different skeleton, with some charred flesh clinging to the bones. Nichole had a bad feeling in her gut about the sight…

"Who is this?" Bones was examining the remains on the first table.

"This is my friend, Nichole. I just need to explain what happened." Shae said, staring right at Bones. A challenge to stop her.

"Five minutes." Bones said, "Then I have to do my job."

Shae nodded as Bones stood back.

"Mom," Shae tapped the first table, "Dad," the second, "Chelsea." The third and final table was tapped.

"Oh, my gosh, Shae!" Nichole threw her arms around her best friend. The hug was returned….sort of.

"I'm ok, Nichole." She pulled out of the hug and shrugged.

Nichole could tell by looking at her friend that it was true. She'd seen Shae torn and broken, cold and unfeeling, and honestly fine. Shae's eyes were normal, showing 'fine' all over.

"You sure, Shae?"

"Yeah." Another shrug. "No biggie. Life sucks, then you die. My life just isn't done sucking."

"Shae…"

"Look, Nichole, I'll call you when we find the guy and to let you know if I need anything."

"What do you mean? You're comin' to my place. You're practically family to my parents, and you know my mom loves to feed you."

"No, I'm sorry, Nichole." Bones had stepped to the table again. "She has to stay here, we need her for questions, confirmation, and identification. She needs to stay at the Jeffersionian. I'm a registered foster parent, so she's safe with Booth and I."

Nichole didn't know who the heck Booth was. She didn't much care, either.

"Oh, no. She can't stay here. My parents and I can take care of her just fine."

"Nichole, I don't care." Shae said.

"Well, I do! Come on!"

"I have to stay."

"What?"

"I have to stay here if Bones says so."

"This isn't like you, Shae…"

"Times change sometimes. I'll be fine here."

"Ok…" Nichole looked at Bones. "You take damn good care of her."

"I-I…" Bones was startled by Nichole's language, but Nichole had turned back to Shae.

"Take care of yourself, half-blood." This time, she used their Harry Potter names.

"I will, Aunt Narcissa."

A casual salute, and Nichole was gone.

"So, you have no problem staying in my apartment with Booth and I?"

"I never said I didn't have a 'problem' with it. I just don't have a choice. So I'm stayin' till I don't have to anymore."

"Where will you go then?"

A shrug was the only reply. Before Bones could open her mouth for more, Shae was buried in the book once more.

"Is she okay?" Cam asked Bones, looking over her shoulder at the girl.

"I don't know…" Bones said. "I'll ask Sweets to keep an eye on her."

Bones had no idea where that idea would lead, and had no way of knowing that it wasn't a good one…


	6. Chapter 6

"Shae," Bones looked up an hour later. "I just thought: Do you have anyone else near by you could stay with? What we found of your family lived quite a way away…"

"My grandma." Shae had finished Animal Farm and was now beyond bored. "Can you take me now?"

"Well, I have to wait for some test results, but I have a bit of time now." Bones ran a hand through her hair. There was more work to do now that Zack was…gone… "I'll see if Booth can come."

Shae had been watching Booth sneaking up silently on Bones for the past thirty seconds and nearly laughed. Nearly.

"See if I can come where?" Booth grabbed Bones from behind.

Bones screamed and turned around.

"Booth! That wasn't funny!"

"It was pretty funny from where I sit." Shae said calmly.

"See, Bones, she knows it's funny." Booth rubbed his hands. "So, where are we going?"

"To find Shae's grandmother. Maybe she can take care of Shae."

"Ok. Let's go."

"Booth?" Shae got up, watching the FBI agent do a weird kind of dance on the spot.

"Huh?"

"How much coffee are you allowed to have? I think you went over the limit."

"Hey!"

"You did go over the limit, didn't you?" Bones asked him.

"No. I just put more sugar in it."

"Cheater." Bones laughed. "Come on." She poked Booth in the side.

"Hey." Booth practically bent in half. "I wouldn't try that…" He raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, and why not?"

"Because I know your weak spot, too!"

Bones' eyes widened.

"Oh, no you don't."

"Can we please just freaking go?" Shae was getting nauseated….

"Oh, right." Bones became all business again.

In the car, Shae gave directions and sat through Bones and Booth having another debate.

"No, see, Bones Gorgonzola-"

"Gormogon!"

"Yeah, he is dead and the apprentice is locked up. There is not another one."

"Well, wouldn't it be logical for there to be multiple apprentices?"

"No, because Sweets said there are always only TWO of them."

"But Gormogon would want to continue what he started and he must have known that we would eventually find out it was Zack!"

"He got cocky, that was the mistake. He thought Zack could outsmart the entire rest of the team."

"But he nearly did, he was just confused and left key traces behind!"

"Yeah, well, there is no way Gormogon could start up again."

"You can't know that for sure, he could be planning something!"

"Hey." Shae said, interrupting. "You can stop. We're here." She got out of the car and started to walk to the door.

"Whoa, there." Booth caught up with her and stopped her. "You can't just enter a building without caution when you're part of a murder investigation. There could be someone in there."

"Yeah, there could totally be someone in there." Shae said, pretending to think. "Oh, yeah, my grandma and her cats, Snicker Doodle and Horatio! Now move."

"Just let me go in first."

"Yes, sir." Shae rolled her eyes.

Booth opened the door, which was unlocked. A television could be heard in one room, its volume higher than what seemed normal.

"Grandma never misses a game." Shae smiled as Matt Holliday heaved the baseball to home plate, where Chris Iannetta was waiting for it.

"This room's clear." Booth said.

"Well, duh. But she isn't watching the game… She must be getting something to eat." Shae walked calmly into the kitchen. "I hear Snicker Doodle. C'mere b-" Shae stopped dead, staring at the floor. Her gaze drifted up to the wall, normally a spotless white with little bunches of baby's breath flowers on the wall paper.

'BRING HER TO ME'

It was on the wall…Plain as day.

In red and white; in her grandmother's blood.

Her grandmother was lying on the black and white tiles, Horatio nosing at her head. The little black cat was confused.

"C'mere, Ratio." Shae picked up the cat. "Leave her alone, boy…"

"She's been dead for approximately an hour…" Bones said.

"Hm." Shae looked away. "So whoever killed my parents wants me, too. Anyone else is just someone standing in the way. Great." She continued muttering under her breath, and Bones caught some words that would normally have gotten Shae in trouble, but Bones made the choice to ignore it.

"She will need to be sent to the Jeffersonian." She said. "And this needs marked as a crime scene."

Booth was already on the phone, getting the appropriate people contacted.

"I'm going to my room upstairs. I'll put Snickers and Ratio out of your way. C'mon, Snicker baby…" Shae balanced Horatio on her shoulders and picked up Snicker Doodle, then started up the stairs. She reached the room that was hers while she visited her grandmother. An old guitar was propped in one corner. Shae hadn't played it for months. She picked it up and absently began to tune it. She played basic warm ups while listening to the bustle downstairs.

"Shae," Bones stuck her head through the door after a time. "Let's go."

Shae got off the bed, keeping the guitar in her hands.

"I'm taking this. And we need to drop of Snicker and Ratio at Cleata's. She's a friend of my grandma. She needs to hear what happened and she will want to take care of the cats."

Bones didn't argue, but let Shae walk downstairs with the guitar in her hands and a cat on each shoulder.

"I'll walk to Cleata's. She lives next door. I'll come back when I'm done."

"I need to go with you. She will have to answer some questions for us."

Shae carefully shrugged, earning a startled 'Prrow' from Horatio. She walked through her grandmother's rose garden, entering Cleata Ann's spacious yard. Walking up the front steps, she rested her guitar on the wall by the door and rang the doorbell. Pachabel's Cannon in D dinged inside the house at the press of the button.

The door opened, revealing a spry elderly lady with steel gray hair. A yellow lab was at her side.

"Oh, hello, Shae!" She waved Shae inside. "Have you brought Horatio and Snickers to see Belle and I? And who's this." She looked at Bones, still smiling.

"Cleata…" Shae allowed Horatio and Snicker Doodle off of her shoulders. "Cleata, something's happened…"

"Oh, dear, come sit down and tell me."

Shae sat on a lavender colored loveseat, looking at Cleata.

"My parents…"

"Oh, honey, I heard about that!" Cleata swept her into a hug. "Dear, I'm so sorry."

"Thank you, Cleata." Shae returned the hug. "But the man who…threw the bomb… He wants me, too. He…he got to grandma and left me a message that way…"

"Oh, no….you mean to say that Joice…" Cleata began to cry silently.

"I really am sorry, Cleata." Shae hugged her again. She looked at Bones. "Ask her tomorrow. She will be able to handle it then. I just…I want to sleep and make this stop. Please, take me to your apartment. You get off work about this time anyway."

Bones nodded, feeling sympathetic. She would come back tomorrow, but leave Shae with Angela and Hodgins at the lab.

"Thank you for telling me, dear." Cleata patted Shae's cheek. "I'll let the others know. Take care of yourself, now."

"You take good care of Horatio and Snickers. Don't let them get too happy."

Cleata nodded, hugged Shae once more, and then she and Bones were on their way. Bones got Booth and they headed home.

Shae was sleeping on the couch in Bones' apartment. It pulled into a bed and was comfortable enough.

Sitting on the bed, Shae waited till the clock showed exactly midnight before reaching under the bed to get the guitar. Playing softly, she started to sing to herself.

"So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell,  
blue skies from pain.  
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?  
A smile from a veil?  
Do you think you can tell?  
And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?  
Hot ashes for trees?  
Hot air for a cool breeze?  
Cold comfort for change?  
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?  
How I wish, how I wish you were here.  
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,  
Running over the same old ground.  
What have you found? The same old fears.  
Wish you were here."

Crying softly, Shae put the guitar back and pulled the covers over her head, waiting for sleep to claim her. In the dark, it was too easy to remember things. Too easy to feel pain. Sleep made it stop, so she welcomed it every night, ready to put the mask back on in the morning.


	7. Chapter 7

A week passed with nothing new. Well, there was some scientific crap about micro-fractures that she didn't' understand, but that didn't find the sick man who threw a bomb in a car and killed an innocent woman in cold blood.

But today, being a weekend, was the day of Booth and Bones' wedding. Shae sat in the best looking clothes she had, a pants suit type thing (she had refused point blank to wear a dress of any sort), and listened to the guy drone on and on. It bored her, but she sat politely. She had never been to a wedding, so she didn't' know if this one was longer or shorter than the norm.

She also had to sit through a reception, but that wasn't bad. More of a party than the ceremony. She met Bones' dad, Max, and her brother, Russ. She met Booth's parents, Booth's son, and his ex-wife. There were a bunch of people there. At least, like, thirty something. Why, then, was nobody her age?! Parker, Booth's son, was fine and all, but he was so much younger than her. Not to mention he didn't read much, so that basically killed any topic for conversation.

It was midnight before the reception ended.

"Angela," Bones approached her afterward, "Could you and Hodgins take Shae for tonight."

"Sure sweetie." Angela winked knowingly at her and jerked her head at Shae. "Let's go. You're bunking at our place."

Shae was grateful she wasn't staying at Bones'. The awkward situation may very well have killed her.

"Sure, sure." She said, getting out of her chair. She had had time to change, so at least she was in clothes that were comfortable.

She got into Angela and Hodgins' car as Hodgins was popping in a CD. Angela was still saying good-bye to Brennen, making so many jokes about why she and Hodgins were watching Shae that Bones was turning very pink.

Shae listened for a moment, then her head jerked up.

"Shut. Up." She said.

"What?" Hodgins said.

"You listen to Floyd?"

"Yeah!"

"Sweet." Shae was beginning to think she might actually not hate Hodgins and Angela. Not like, but certainly not hate. There was a difference.

"Ugh, Jack." Angela said, getting into the car, "This doesn't seem like music Shae would like at all."

"No, actually," Hodgins started the car. "She likes it."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Shae said. "Nothing beats this music. 'Cept maybe Alice In Chains…"

"You're kidding, right?" Angela turned around in her seat.

Shae shook her head.

"Ok." Angela shrugged. "You two are so weird…"

"So," Shae wanted a subject change. She hated when anything turned to her and the 'weird' label. "I'm staying at your place for tonight and till, like, seven tomorrow night? Seriously?"

"Yes."

"Fun." Shae said, pulling a reading light from her pocket. For five minutes there was silence as Shae read her latest book, this one being of decent thickness (750 pages). Then, quite loudly and suddenly:

"Oh, for the love of Pete, Charlie!"

"What was that about!" Said a thoroughly startled and disgruntled Hodgins.

"My book. Edward is engaged to Bella, and Bella won't just spit it out that she has been proposed to, so her father jumps to the pregnancy conclusion."

"Ok…"

"If I gave you the long version, we will be here all night."

"Well," Angela said, "Seeing as we're home, I don't find that likely."

Shae grabbed her backpack, her book, and her guitar, following Angela and Hodgins inside.

"The guest bedroom is in there." Hodgins pointed. "And you can stay up or hit the sack. Doesn't matter to us." He then went into he and Angela's room down the hall to change.

"I want to get to sleep." Shae said. "It's been a long, boring day. No offense to you guys, but there is just way too much science every day. It gets old."

"Got it." Angela turned to follow Hodgins into their bedroom.

"Wait, just a quick question."

"Yeah?"

"Why am I staying with you guys, exactly?"

"Uh… Well, see, Brennen and Booth DID just get married, and-"

"Okay, stop right there. My imagination works almost exceptionally well."

"Hey, you asked."

"Yeah, yeah. Noise, noise."

"Night, Shae."

"Mm-hmm."

Angela walked down the hall and into the bedroom. Shae walked into the guest bedroom, plopping on the bed with her guitar. She played and sang Wish You Were Here, just like she did every night. It was the only pain she would show, and no one would ever see it.

"Come on, Shae. It's eleven. I can't let you sleep that late, even on a weekend. Get up."

'Daylight,' thought Shae, 'Is a very unpleasant thing. Almost ungodly….' She blinked furiously against the sun coming through windows that, by rights, should have had curtains covering them for at least another two hours.

"You're not nice." She muttered in murderous tones to Angela.

"Never claimed to be, sweetie."

"Ugh…" Shae rolled over. She then had a sudden thought and sat up. "Hey, can we go to my house?"

"Why? Did you forget something?"

"No. I just want to check on the dogs and get some extra stuff."

"Well…Brennen would say no…"

'All the more reason to go!' Shae thought.

"But I suppose it won't hurt. What kind of dogs?"

"Big, slobbery, retarded, and adorable German Sheapards." Shae said, sitting up.

"When do you want to go?"

"As soon as I'm dressed." Shae said, getting out of bed.

"All right."

Shae got dressed quickly, eager to go to her house.

"So I turn right up here?" Hodgins checked for the twentieth time.

"Yes. Right here, the one with the brick lining."

"Okay."

Shae got out of the car, hearing a chorus of barks from behind the wooden fence.

"Isis, Toby, shut it!"

The barking stopped.

Shae picked up a rock, withdrawing the key from the bottom.

"You know, I thought Mom was being dumb when she bought that thing."

The three stepped in, Shae immediately going to the back door with a coffee can of dog food.

"Hey, guys. I know Missy's been feeding you, but I got it today."

Hodgins had been looking into various rooms, when he stopped stock still in front of one.

"Oh, my God…"


	8. Chapter 8

Angela followed Shae into the back yard, where two German Shepards barked out a greeting.

"Isis, Toby, down!" Shae's voice carried over their noise. "I have food, so calm yourselves!"

"Excitable, aren't they?" Angela laughed as the dogs quieted and hopped up and down in anticipation.

"Yeah. And big. And slobbery. And dumb."

"They're so cute!" Angela took the nearest dog's face in her hands. "Yes, so cute! Which one is this?"

"Toby." Shae dumped the dog food into an old hubcap. "The fetch monster."

"They're both adorable." Something touched Angela's leg, making her look down. A calico cat was looking up at her, and it let out a soft 'meow.' "And who is this?" She picked up the cat.

"Lily." Shae looked up. "And… Oh, no."

"What?" Angela looked up from the purring cat in surprise.

"She's skinny."

"Skinny?"

"Yup. Could you put her down for a sec?"

Angela put the cat down, despite the protesting 'meow'.

"Thank you. All right," Shae looked at the cat. "Where are they, little miss?"

The cat turned around, walking around a corner of the house.

"Where are what?" Angela asked, following Shae. Who was following the cat.

"Give it a minute."

A calico tail disappeared under the deck, and Shae got down on her hands and knees after it.

"Ah-ha!" Shae reached her arm under the deck and emerged with a wriggling black ball of fur.

"This is what a skinny Lily means." Shae held the tiny kitten out to Angela.

"Oh, adorable!"

"Yeah. Frosty is probably the dad."

"Frosty?"

Shae pointed to a large black cat lounging in a tree.

"Frosty. The opposite cat."

"Oh. I see."

"Angela!" Hodgin's voice came from the back door. "Angela, you should come see this!"

"Uh-oh." Angela swiftly gave the kitten back to Shae, who put it back under the deck. Both went running to the back door.

"What?!" The shouted question came in unison.

"Just come here!" He motioned them inside, leading them quickly through the house. Stopping at a door, the thrust an arm into the room. "Look at all this!"

The room was bedecked with posters of video game characters, bands, and comic book characters. In one corner sat a small entertainment center with a game-cube and NES gaming system.

"What?" Angela was confused.

"Yeah, what? It's just my room." Shae was weirded out by Hodgins. The dude had issues.

"This shrine to all that is awesome is YOURS?!" Hodgins asked. "Really? I mean, you have Metroid, X-Men, Pink Floyd…and is that Star Fox?"

"Yeah… It is…"

"Jack, calm down. I think your scaring Shae." Angela laughed.

"He kind of is actually…" Shae said.

"But all of this is so cool!"

"Your like a small child tapped in an adults body." Angela was having a giggle fit.

"Therein lies the fun!" Hodgins said.

"Okay… I have cats to feed…" Shae said, turning to leave. Suddenly she stopped. "Hey, does my DS need to stay here?"

"No." Angela shook her head. "We've found all we can in the house."

"Sweet." Shae grabbed a red bag that looked like it had seen better days and started grabbing various games from around the room.

"She's like you….. Trapped in that body." Angela pointed out.

"I know."

"Shae, we should head back to our place." Angela said as soon as Shae finished. "Brennen and Booth will be coming to take you back."

"Dang…" Shae muttered.

She wasn't fond of Bones and Booth. They tried too hard to act like parents. To act like her parents. To act like they understood her. They weren't her parents, and they didn't understand… She didn't think they ever would. But for now, until the investigation was over, she would have to deal with the crap she had.


	9. Chapter 9

After Shae had found out she was returning to the Jeffersonian, she had plugged in her Ipod and become sullen. Burying her nose in a book (Good Omens, by Terry Pratchet and Niel Gaiman), she stayed silent while in the car. She only moved to get out of the car and into the Jeffersonian. She went to sit in Bones' office and found that Booth and Bones were talking. They stopped abruptly when they saw her.

'Fine.' She thought. 'What the hell ever. It's not like I'm not used to people talking about me.' She switched to her Slipknot playlist on her Ipod to Before I Forget. After a few moments she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up from her book, annoyed because she really was enjoying reading of Crowly and Azirphale drunk. It was some guy who she had seen talking to Bones and Booth, but she didn't know his name. She paused her Ipod.

"Yeah?"

"Slipknot?"

"Yeah…" This guy screamed 'dork', with a smell of 'shrink'. How the Hell did he know anything about Slipknot?

"You'll go deaf listening to music that loud."

"Right."

He smiled.

"You don't buy it either, huh?"

"Nope."

"Well, I never lost my hearing."

"You can't have ever listened to metal."

"When I was a kid I did. Every once in a while now, too."

"Metal like what?"

"Metallica."

"Sure. Then finish this 'Exit light, enter night'…"

"Take my hand, off to Never Never Land."

"Okay, I believe you." Shae shrugged. "So wadda you do here?"

"I'm a psychologist."

"Not surprising."

"But I need to ask you some questions about your parents."

"Of course you do." Shae shut down any emotion. Screw the fact that he liked Metallica and Slipknot. He was still a shrink.

"Do you know if anyone was after them?"

"I've answered this, like, five times already. No."

"Did you get along with your parents?"

"Most times. But I'm a teenager. I disagreed with them. My grades were never good enough. I messed up. I wasn't my sister. What of it? You suggesting I killed them?"

"Well, it's my job to look at every aspect-"

"Whatever. I didn't do it. I'm going outside. Just leave me the Hell alone." She got up and walked out of the office, fuming.

"Shae, where are you going?" Bones asked, seeing her walk out.

"Stay out if it. It's my business."

Shae switched to her Pink Floyd playlist, to Wish You Were Here and walked off. Once outside, she sat on the steps, singing and staring at the fountain.

Bones, who had followed her, stood in the doorway, watching her with sad eyes as she listened to her singing.

"Bones, are you okay?" Booth was behind her.

"Shae hates me."

"Bones, no she doesn't…"

"Booth, it's rational. She's lost all of her family and can't appreciate me trying to help."

"Rational. Bones, just because something is rational-"

"I know. It's rational but… I still feel bad. I want to help her Booth, and I can't… Do you know the song she's singing? Right now, she's in pain…"

"Bones." Booth took her into his arms. "I know, Bones. We have to wait for her to come around. We can keep caring though."

"Dr. Brennen, Agent Booth." Sweets had come up behind them, a folder in his hand. "Could I speak to you in private? I'm sorry, but this shouldn't wait."

"Of course, Sweets." Bones said.

Shae watched them from over her shoulder, waiting until they had entered Sweets' office. Then, she shut off her IPod, followed them to Sweets' office silently, and crouched behind the door they'd left slightly ajar. A cracked door is an eavesdropper's best friend.

"What's this about Sweets?" Bones was asking.

"I've been observing Kathleen recently."

'It's Shae, dammit...' Shae growled in her head.

"And I've noticed some disturbing details about her behavior."

"Like what?" Booth was on the defensive.

"Well, every time her parents are mentioned, or her sister, she goes cold. Colder than you could imagine. This seems beyond hiding extreme grief. It's almost as though she doesn't care that they're dead. I've seen this behavior before, but only in the murderers themselves. It's the lack of remorse that often comes from committing the crime."

"But why would she detonate the bomb and risk herself?" Bones' voice seemed strangled, as though she were trying to find the loophole that didn't exist. "Sweets, she's in pain. If you would have seen her just now-"

Shae gritted her teeth. That damn scientist had seen her when she had wanted to be alone! Her feelings were private! But Sweets had interrupted and was speaking again.

"Zack did the same thing, with the bomb. And it's obvious that she had issues with her parents and, at times, didn't care much for them. I think that, for her, killing her parents would have been almost...easy..."

"Shut_ up_!" Shae shoved open the door. "_You _don't know a damn thing _about _me, idiot! I wouldn't _ever _kill my parents, and _defiantly _not my _sister_! I _loved _my family; so _stop _analyzing me and pretending you know everything about me! You _don't _and you _never _will! And _you_!" She rounded on Bones and Booth, "You two can _stop _trying to be my parents, because you _never _will be. You will _never _be my mom, so you can _stop _trying to even _pretend _you give a shit! Just _leave _me the _hell _alone!"

"Shae, wait!" Bones started.

"No! I'm not listening anymore." Shae turned and, ripping the door open, ran out of the Jeffersonian. Air whooshed past her ears, and blood pounded in her head. She ran, and rounded the corner into the first alley she saw. She stopped suddenly when she ran smack into someone and fell flat on her butt. She looked up. He was huge...and was almost an exact match to the rouge sketch Angela had made according to Sweets' profile and the description given my Shae herself.

"Well, hello, little runaway." He leered, reaching into a pocket of his long coat. "I've finally found you." From the pocket he produced a handgun.

'Oh, hell no.' Shae though, gritting her teeth, 'Not today, and not like this.'

She flipped herself onto her feet and kicked the man in the same motion. Both of her feet made contact with his diaphragm, kicking the wind out of him. An 'oof' let her know that he was winded. She went to kick the top of his arm, wishing she were wearing steel-toes boots rather than calf-high convers. But as her foot came up, he flipped the gun in his hand and hit her hard on the temple with the butt of the gun. She crumpled, startled to find that she was making a high, keening sound as she grabbed her head. The gun was flipped once again, and he leveled the barrel at her. She tried to stand, but her head wanted to burst in protest.

"No!" Sweets flew around the corner and knocked Shae, who was now half standing, out of the way. The gunshot rang out a second later, and blood blossomed over Sweet's clean white shirt alarmingly fast. He clutched his chest, as though trying to stop the blood, a look of shock on his face. That moment where you have enough time to think 'uh-oh'. A second shot rang out, and Shae, fighting to stay conscious, saw blood trickle from her hunter's forehead.

Sweets fell to the ground, gasping.

"Sweets..." she whispered. She was loosing the fight for consciousness, and loosing fast. Her head was a mass of pain, throbbing in an unholy way. Through her fast tunneling vision she saw Bones and Booth sprinting to Sweets. Booth took off his shirt and folded it into a pad that he pressed to Sweets' chest, and Shae felt something like a feather on her forehead. She became aware that Bones was pressing her hands hard to the cut on her forehead before blackness mercifully claimed her.


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, Booth walked into Sweets' room, where Cam was sitting in a hard plastic chair.

"How's he doing?" Booth asked, running a hand through his hair.

Both Sweets and Shae had been brought straight to the hospital. Shae had a concussion and had needed ten stitches where the butt of the gun had cut her head. She had been monitored throughout the night and was woken periodically. Her memory was faulty, so every time she was woken, which was on the half hour, she asked the same questions: Where am I? Where's Sweets? How bad is he?

Sweets had been less fortunate. The bullet had penetrated deeply, just missing his heart. It had, however, punctured his left lung after shattering two ribs while traveling between them. He had needed emergency surgery, which had lasted over an hour and a half. He was still unconscious, his body recovering from shock and blood loss. He would live, but that didn't banish the worry in everyone's hearts entirely. It was a scenario much like the one after Pam had shot Booth, and no one like the haunting déjà vu.

"Stable. Still sleeping, though. He woke briefly a couple of hours ago, around seven, but only long enough to ask what happened."

"Sounds like Shae." He said, almost smiling.

"Yes. Have you been to see her?"

"Not yet, but she is my next stop."

"Ok. Come back to let me know how she is."

Booth nodded, then turned to leave, glancing at Sweets before doing so. He couldn't help wondering why Sweets had gone after Shae. From what he had gathered, they had only spoken once, from what he could gather. What connection could he have had with her that the rest of the team had been completely unable to make? Or had he just been stupid?

"Hey." He knocked on Shae's door frame, meeting a scene much like the one he had just left, but with different characters. Shae in the bed, Angela in the chair.

"Hey." Angela replied.

"Still the same?"

"A little better, actually. The last time, at the half hour, she woke up on her own. She must be getting used to it. And she has been remembering what happened."

"That's good."

"Where's Brennen?"

"At home. She was sick this morning, so I had her stay."

"I hope it's nothing serious."

"Just nausea, she said." He smiled fondly. "So, of course, she tried to come anyway."

"That sounds like Brennen." Angela smiled. "But did you come straight here?"

"No." He shook his head. "I was just checking things at the Jeffersonian for Bones. She goes crazy if she doesn't know everything that goes on."

"I see."

"I need coffee." Booth said, making Angela wonder once again if he didn't have ADD.

"All right." Angela laughed.

"What?"

"You can change the subject very quickly."

"Oh. Well, I do need coffee. And I know Bones will want some. Not to mention that I was told to let Cam know how Shae is doing."

"She is demanding like that." Angela grinned as she watched Booth shake his head as he left the room.

"Angela?" Bones tapped lightly on the door to Shae's room not five minutes later.

"Oh, there you are!" Angela stood up. "Booth said you were sick and that you wouldn't be here."

"Well, I was sick," Bones' face looked pale, and there was a nervous, scared look in her eyes. "Just this morning, though. I'm better now."

"That's great. But, if you're better, why do you look like crap?"

"Well...I'd been sick in the morning of the previous two weeks..."

"And you still showed up to work?"

"Yes, because I would be fine later on. Same as today. Booth just forced me to stay this morning."

"Any idea what's wrong?" Angela put her hand on Bones' shoulder.

"Yes, I had an idea...And this morning I confirmed it." Bones swallowed.

"Well, sweetie, what's wrong?"

"Angela...I'm pregnant."

"Oh, Brennen!" Angela wrapped her into a huge hug. "That's amazing!"

"No, Angela, not for me!" Bones was neatly hysterical. "I've never wanted children, I don't know how to be a mom! I won't have any idea what I'm doing! I don't think I could be a mother, at least...not a good one..."

"Brennen, sweetie, you'll be fine. I promise." Angela smiled at her. "How is it you've been married for only a month, and I've been married to Hodgins for six, and you're already pregnant?"

"You're the one who watched Shae after the wedding while Booth and I had alone time! You figure it out."

"I told you once, my imagination works just fine! And I promise that you'll be okay. You'll make a great mom."

"What on Earth makes you say that? I can't take care of Shae, how am I supposed to take care of a baby?"

"You'll have help, you know. Booth is capable."

"I know that, but I have no idea what to do, Angela. I don't handle not knowing what to do well, I can't handle a situation that I can't control."

"Nobody knows exactly how to be a mother, Bones, but they handle it. It's a basic instinct and you should know that. I promise you'll be fine."

"How am I supposed to tell Booth?"

"Tell me what?" Booth walked in with two cups of coffee, one smelling of French vanilla. "Bones, hon! I thought you stayed home!"

"I'm fine, Booth."

"You don't look like it. Honey, what's wrong?"

"Booth," Bones bit her lip, tears in the corners of her eyes. "I'm pregnant."

Booth couldn't say anything for at least a minute..

"Really?" He finally breathed, setting the coffees down.

Bones nodded.

Booth pulled her close and kissed her, so suddenly that Bones was startled. Booth had never kissed her like this before. It was so amazing and passionate...Everything she'd played out in a novel but hadn't ever really experienced for herself.

"When did you find out?" Booth was smiling widely.

"This morning." Bones gave a watery smile.

"Why did you cry when you told me, hon?"

"Because I'm scared, Booth. How am I supposed to make a good mom?"

"You'll be a great mom. And I'm a little scared, too, you'd be insane not to be, but that doesn't mean that this isn't the happiest day of my life."

"Ugh." Came a slightly groggy voice. "Mushfest. No mushfust in my room."

"Shae!" Bones turned and walked to the bed. "You're awake." She smiled.

"Yeah, duh. You've only been waking me up every half hour."

"Do you remember what happened?" Bones asked.

"Ya." Shae nodded. "And not just from the answers you guys were giving me. I… I remember." She looked right at Bones. "Thank you. And… I'm sorry."

"For what?" Booth asked.

"I… I was treating you guys like crap." She sniffed. "I was treating everyone like they had killed my parents. And… I didn't . I didn't!" Tears started in earnest, though she tried so hard to hold them back.

"I know." Brennen said. "I've heard you singing that song. I heard you before you left and I'd heard you before at the house, late at night."

"Wish You Were Here?"

"Yes. And you play it beautifully."

"Thank you." Shae suddenly sat up, tears forgotten. "Sweets! Oh…" She grabbed her head and fell back onto the pillows. "Ow… "

"Sweets is still unconscious, and you are not going anywhere." Bones said.

"Does Nichole know I'm in here?"

"Yes. She almost stayed in the room last night, but her mom came to pick her up at midnight." Angela said.

"More like drag her out." Booth said, grinning. "She was not happy with us."

"Uh-oh…" Shae grinned, too.

"Yeah. You should have heard her. " He laughed. "For almost a solid half hour it was: I told you to take care of her! So what happens?! She nearly gets freaking shot! Nice job!'"

"That was a clean version." Angela noted.

"Nice." Shae was laughing. "I suppose I should call her…"

"Go ahead." Bones said. "And we've talked to her parents. They're making preparations for your parents' and grandmother's funeral."

"Why so late?" Shae asked.

"We caught who ." Booth said. "We don't need them any more."

"Whatever you are doing," Cam walked in. "It has to wait. Sweets woke up!"

---------------------------------------------------------------

AN:

So finally, another chapter! Lol. I know, it took forever. But thank you all for being patient with me! Reviews are great, and CONstructive (not to be confused with Destructive) criticism is much appreciated. I hope that my medical stuff was decent. I really don't know what would have happened when he got shot.

This is almost done! Thank you all for reviews and love! ^.^


	11. Chapter 11

"Really?" Shae sat up, again much too fast. "OW!" She clutched her forehead with one hand but stayed sitting up. "Let me go see him!"

"No." Booth, Cam, Angela, and Bones all said at once.

She glared at them.

"You really shouldn't move," Bones said, in full scientist mode. "Your body is rested but your brain isn't yet. Too much physical activity-"

"He's right down the freaking hall!" Shae said.

"Actually, he's on another floor." Angela said, matter-of-factly.

"Humph. So? I can handle it. Get me a wheel chair, if you have to!"

"Shae, he only just woke up. You'll have time to see him later and he'll be tired now." Cam said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Not to mention he probably won't make much sense..." Booth added.

"You say that like he did in the first place." Shae retorted. "I want to see the man who saved my life! He jumped in front of a freakin' bullet for me, in case you forgot!"

"No one had forgotten that, Shae." Bones put a hand on her shoulder. "But you have to wait. At least for a little bit. Not to mention-"

"Thanks so much for letting me know she was up! Daiben!" A voice interrupted. "Merde, I never should have left."

"Easy, Nikki." Shae said, smiling. "I've been up for all of ten minutes."

"It takes about three seconds to dial a phone! Fukka!"

"Do I want to know what she's calling us?" Booth asked.

"Lots of bad things. All in Japanese." Shae said. "Nikki…. You're hair! You chopped it!"

"Yeah," She rolled her eyes. "It's black with crimson highlights and the first thing you notice is that I whacked it off."

"Shut up. I have an excuse!"

"Like what?"

"Oh, I dunno, maybe the head wound?"

"Oh!" Nikki grabbed her chest. "your sarcasm! It wounds!"

"Wow…" Booth said, looking at Bones. "We're going to have to deal with this a lot."

"I think we'll survive." She said, smiling.

"What?" Said Shae. "I'm confused…"

"I second that emotion." Nikki raised her hand.

"Booth and I have decided," Bones said, "After a lot of consideration, to ask you if you'd like to live with us."

"I have been living with you." Shae was still puzzled.

"What we mean is," Said Booth, "We'd like to adopt you."

Shae blinked.

"But…. You're all…. Scientific. And I'm…. not."

"Oh, trust me sweetie," Angela said, "She's not even as scientific as she used to be. Once she gave in and started dating Booth she tried to restrict science to work."

"On the contrary," Bones said, "I still have quite the scientific mind but Booth has taught me how to be more aware of when to express my scientific views and when not to. While my expertise is valued at the Jeffersonian, it cannot always be appreciated by the general public."

It was Nikki's turn to blink.

"Wow…." She said.

"Yeah…" Shae agreed. "So… you're sure about this? I mean, you're gonna have a baby and I don't think you want to deal with a baby and a teenager at the same time. Cause that would be this total nightmare and I really don't want to be in your way and I can always find some random cousins or something somewhere and-"

"We decided it was best not to remove you from an environment with which you are familiar." Bones said.

"And Nikki would kill us if we let you do that." Booth laughed. "But, really. We're sure. We decided it was better if you could stay here and finish school rather than having to move elsewhere and, weird as it sounds, we got pretty attached to you."

"How? I put up my biggest, thickest brick wall around you people."

"Well…" Bones said, "We'd been talking to Sweets and he said that, though you did hide your feelings, you were still acting like yourself."

"Damn shrink." She muttered.

"how 'bout it, kiddo?" Booth asked.

Shae sat back and thought for a while. The thought of living with them was… appealing. She could stay close, stay in the same school, visit the graves of her family, still have Nikki.

Yet… She hardly knew the pair… They'd been taking care of her, sure, but… To go this far was a bit of a stretch. She was waiting for a catch, sure it was coming, but her heart…

Her heart wanted to have this new family…

Slowly, she nodded, and was met by cheering, smiles, laughter, and hugs from everyone in the room.

A/N: Okay, so it's been forever since I even touched this fic, and seems kinda craptastic to me now, but I decided to at least finish it. There will be a prologue after this, and then that will be that. No more of this Mary Sue called Shae haha.


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